Stephen Harrigan explores his own Catholic boyhood in Texas—and the prophecy left behind by a Portuguese prophet girl—in a ...

A version of this story ran in the May / June 2025 issue. It’s the sort of day where you can tell that the state Capitol is bustling with civic activity well before you pass through the security ...

The state created “Texas Partnership” charter schools to turn around struggling public campuses, but an Observer ...

All of the Texas Observer’s articles are available for free syndication for news sources under the following conditions: The ...

Bitcoin mining afflicts locals with noise pollution, threatens water supplies, and receives generous public backing.

All of the Texas Observer’s articles are available for free syndication for news sources under the following conditions: ...

Republicans want to double down on a system that can keep Texans in jail for years without a trial, while attacking bail ...

Orlando J. Pérez, Ph.D., is a professor of political science at the University of North Texas at Dallas, specializing in U.S.

President Donald Trump’s recent Oval Office photo-op with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, who calls himself the “world’s coolest dictator”, was staged to unveil a shiny new ...

The U.S.-Mexico border is perhaps the most widely discussed and poorly understood region in the country. MAGA influencers and nationalistic politicians have inaccurately portrayed border ...